Round the prom

An audacious wrong-way round the world in a multihull
sailing campaign is in jeopardy after local planners told The Spirit
of Teignmouth to move its half-built boat and Visitor Centre off the
seafront in Teignmouth, South Devon.

Simon Chalk, double ocean rower and seasoned adventurer, intends to become
the first person ever to sail a multihulled yacht the wrong way around the
world – against the prevailing conditions – however his plans could be
scuppered after local councillors refused to give him enough time to
complete the build of his 68ft trimaran.

Simon is asking for an extension until next spring to give him enough time
to complete the build, and launch the yacht before his round the world
record attempt. Instead he has been given just 3 months to get off the
site – an impossible task and one that could mean the end to the project,
yacht build and the record attempt remaining in the UK.

Simon commented; “We are extremely disappointed about this decision. Even
if we were give a million pounds tomorrow we couldn’t complete the build
of the yacht by the 30th September, it’s just not possible logistically
within the time frame, without severely compromising safety and that just
isn’t an option.”

However, following the decision on Monday there has been an outcry by
supporters of the project at what they call the ‘ludicrous’ decision to
pull the project up short.

Since Christmas 25,000 people have visited The Spirit of Teignmouth. The
Visitor Centre houses a unique exhibition showing various aspects of the
voyage – Build and Design, Communications and Navigation, Meteorology,
Nutrition, Wildlife and Clothing and many local schools feature the
project as part of their core educational curriculum.

‘Spirit of Teignmouth’ a 68ft long, 45ft wide, 78ft masted, state of the
art tri-maran, has been designed by John Shuttleworth, specifically to
take on the challenge of navigating the world the wrong way – against the
prevailing winds and currents. www.spirit-of-teignmouth.com